Agenda and minutes

An apology was received from Councillor Rae Bhatia.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed on the agenda.

In respect of the Evesham Road Link, it was noted that members of the Commission had received email correspondence from objectors.

Councillor Broadwell also declared that she had previously objected to the principle of any proposals for the link road being brought forward.

The minutes of the meeting of the Economic Development, Transport and Tourism Scrutiny Commission held on 22 August 2019 are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

AGREED:
That the Minutes of the meeting of the Commission held on 22 August 2019 be confirmed as a correct record.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any Petitions received in accordance with Council procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no petitions had been received.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any Questions, Representations and Statements of Case received in accordance with Council procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no questions, representations or statements of case had been received.

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation will give a presentation concerning the Evesham Road Link.

In accordance with Scrutiny Procedure Rules, the Chair will invite representatives of the End of the Road Campaign to present their comments regarding the Evesham Road Link proposals.

Councillors who are not members of the Commission have also been invited to speak at the meeting.

The Chair will make clear to the public and Councillors the extent to which they may participate in the meeting.

Any written representations concerning the item should be sent to the Democratic Support Officer before 12:00 noon on Friday 11October 2019:

Jason Tyler

Democratic Support

City Hall, 115 Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1FZ

Email : jason.tyler@leicester.gov.uk

The written representations received will be made available to members of the Commission prior to the meeting:

The Chair referred to her decision to allow the ‘End of the Road Campaign’ to address the Commission on the item, in accordance with Scrutiny Procedure Rules.

It was confirmed that a total of 30 minutes would be allowed, noting that four members of the public had asked to present their views as representatives of the larger number of organisations making up the ‘End of the Road Campaign’.

The Chair then referred to the attendance of two Ward Councillors who had also asked to speak.  It was confirmed that the Ward Councillors would be allowed 5 minutes each to address the Commission.

As a further procedural point, the Chair explained to Commission members and the public present that the Commission would not be making a decision on any future proposals, but that proper scrutiny of the issue would lead to a recommendation being made to the City Mayor and Executive.  The Chair emphasised this point and reminded the Commission that following debate on the item, members would be asked to make any comments for future consideration by the City Mayor.

The Chair then asked the City Mayor and lead Director to introduce the item.

The City Mayor commented on the historical and geographical aspects of the Evesham Road link, as it had been included on previous development plans and documentation. 

He stated that there were no current plans to create a link road by extending Evesham Road through to Boundary Road and confirmed he had no plans to allocate any funding to such a scheme.

In the historical context, the City Mayor referred to the other river crossings put in place due to their need in previous times.  He commented that an Evesham Road link road had been seen as a possible additional river crossing that may be desirable in the future, as it was argued there could be beneficial as well as detrimental aspects to the idea. 

The City Mayor commented that the link road to the Aylestone area and creation of an alternative route and by-pass to relieve congestion in parts of the Aylestone Village had been suggested as a benefit from any future project.  The additional benefit to public transport and particularly improved bus routes was also referenced, alongside the expectation that greener and cleaner private cars and vehicles would become more common in the future.

The City Mayor asked the Commission to note that this was why the proposed link road ‘line’ had been included in previous development plans and had been the subject of an environmental appraisal over 25 years ago.  The City Mayor confirmed that the line on the plan demonstrated what was proposed at that time.

In conclusion, the City Mayor stressed the points made at the beginning of his introduction; that there was no proposal to implement an Evesham Road link, and that no funds were available or allocated to support it.  It was also explained and accepted that at current values, the likely estimated costs of a river crossing scheme would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

The scrutiny review scoping document - “Economic Development at a Local Level” is attached for consideration.

The Chair introduced the item and reminded the Commission of the rationale of the review to develop job creation, skills and investment plans for parts of Leicester which were economically excluded, including opportunities for local businesses and for young people to engage in positive activities.  The aims of the review were to explore how those aims could be achieved at local levels.

This review would also seek to evaluate how those commitments were being met and the measures that could be taken to increase economic participation at local levels, through overarching strategies and individual projects. It would identify and characterise what is meant by economic exclusion at a local level and make recommendations to address the key problems and build upon opportunities.

The Chair referred to the process underway to progress those aims and thanked colleagues for the evidence that had been gathered and submitted to date.

The intention to convene a Task Group was emphasised and the Scrutiny Policy officer circulated information concerning members’ availability.

It was confirmed that research support had been offered by De Montfort University to assist in the progression of the scrutiny review.

The City Mayor confirmed hi support to the review process and commented on early indications of evidence collected on economic disadvantage. 

AGREED:

That the Scrutiny Review document be received and noted and the rationale be endorsed.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Investment submits a report, which outlines key activities to support business growth and attract new business investment.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Investment submitted a report, which outlined key activities to support business growth and attract new business investment.

The report noted the key activities being delivered or developed to support growth of businesses in Leicester and to attract new investment.

It was noted that in recent years significant successes had created several thousand new job opportunities.

It was reported that six detailed sector-based propositions were being developed to provide up-to-date information and support the early stage investment decision making process, namely:

•      Space

•      Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering

•      Life Sciences

•      IT, Professional & Financial Services

•      Advanced Logistics

•      Food & Drink

In noting the sectors, comment was made concerning the further growth which was evident on the boundary of the city and it was confirmed that as transport was a key to the city economy an efficient network was vital.  The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation provided details of the draft bid to Transforming Cities bid in this regard. 

Further comments and consideration of car parking policies, and other sustainable transport policies involving improved cycling, walking and public transport links were also noted.

The opportunities to invest in redundant and disused industrial and factory sites was also referred to and the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders to regenerate areas, such as Woodgate and the Waterside scheme, were explained and noted.  Other potential sites that would benefit from similar sympathetic regeneration schemes were also discussed and noted.

AGREED:

That the report and update be noted.

The City Mayor will answer questions raised by members of the Commission on issues not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

There were no further questions for the City Mayor.

The Commission’s Work programme is attached for information and comment.

The Commission’s Work Programme was submitted and noted.

The meeting closed at 7.30pm.